I truly enjoyed this game every second of it.I wish I could erase my memory and just play it all over again. Such a remarkable journey I spent 150 hours playing it to hit 100% achievement
Congrats! I’ve played through a few times and have never completely finished everything, gotten every bone, every cig card, etc. I start doing those things and get so sidetracked and drawn into the main story that I never complete them haha. I’m on my third play through and I vow to do 100% of everything this time 😂
So true, I always stick with my first horse. I sacrifice some abilities but it really does make it more realistic. Arthur loves his horse and wouldn’t just switch it for a slightly faster one. It does make it hurt more when it eventually dies. 🥲
@@ishopinamsterdam I always keep the huge black horse Hosea gives Arthur when they go hunt the bear. Its a unique horse and barely slower than the fastest horses.
Saying this game aged well is an understatement, this timeless masterpiece will forever stand as Rockstar's magnum opus and one of the greatest games of all time.
@@42LGKHard to say. I think gta 6 will definetely have improvements in a number of places but idk yet how well they will handle the story and characters.
I used to have 3 save files on rdr2 1. For me to try to get completion 2. When my stepdad and I hung out 3. When I would hang out with my dad. Had to do high honor with my stepdad around, because I didn’t want him to see what I was capable of 😂 With my dad we would be sore from laughter when we would throw people on train tracks or try and get away with as much as possible, *but* I didn’t spoil Arthur’s ending for him at all playing it. When Arthur got his diagnosis he was all in on redeeming him and it made playing through that part of the game easier and more memorable since he honestly even cared about Arthur in the game. I think that kind of speaks volumes to how wide of an audience it is accessible to, and the success of its writing being a really emotionally complex and engaging piece of fiction. For both my stepdad and my dad to want to just be there with me playing it and connecting between both was a positive thing for me.
Thanks for the comment. I'm 64 and an OG Vidiot I guess. My Dad's been dead for decades and I never had kids. Cherish the good moments with your "Dads", mine was an abusive alcoholic. ✌️🐎
@@mrnobody3161 i can relate. It took a lot of time to make amends. Playing RDR2 was a way to reconnect and the theme of redemption actually made it very easy for us to talk about our past as father and son.
there is some fascinating pyschoanalysis in to having to play the high honor and low honor mode depending on which male figure was present. good luck sir in adult navigation of life.
It’s sad as hell when you give Abigail that kiss and she says to tend to the farm, you’ve already done every bounty and side mission, got your fill of hunting and fishing… and you just know the ride is over, and you saw all you came to see. I got that same sad feeling when you wake up in Kaer Morhen and everybody is gone, no more friends to do quests with, no more storyline, it’s over. It’s the biggest compliment I can give to any game if I get that feeling at the end of it.
Dont forget the music. The music makes it 10x more immersive. or should i say the sound ambience in general. When you just ride along to some peaceful guitar music and animal noises, enjoying the view, then suddenly it changes to some dark uncanny sound while you hear multiple horse riders from afar getting louder and louder, realizing that bounty hunters are coming for your head. This is so good man
Picked it up cheap recently, and I've got about 50 hours in the game now. But I'm not really playing RDR2 - I'm playing a RPG with a guy named Arthur as the hero. I actively avoid the story missions - anything to do with Micah ends in slaughter of innocent people, and that's not what my Arthur is all about. Got my honour up to touching distance of the right edge of the bar! I'm the Robin Hood of the Wild West! Next story mission is stealing some oil carriages with John Marston. I didn't play the first game, but apparently he was the hero, so I'm hoping he is a bit more sensible than Micah. Got a hell of a lot of exploring to do first - at the moment I'm riding the whole perimeter of the map, seeing what is to be seen. It is beautiful - coming down from the mountains in the early morning, into an autumnal forest, with the god rays all around. Wonderful.
@@Celisar1 TBH, now I've got a lot more hours into the game, I have (had to really) played a few more story missions, and one or two have been quite fun! Low-key have a crush on Sadie - but the harmonica quest is glitched, and I'm not killing to get hold of one for her. And riding shotgun for the suffragettes was hilarious! But the main missions involving Dutch or other 'outlaw' scenarios are just out of character for my version of Arthur. ;-)
It blew my mind and still does. Think about it, hundreds of people working on this for years and years. The endless hours of work poured into it. And we end up with a masterpiece. Loved every minute of it.
The game is so insanely well made. Never seen this level of detail in any game ever before: I was in a shack in the middle of nowhere where I found an axe. And I took the axe and threw it against the wall: it made a wood sound. I took the axe again and threw it against a picture: it made a paper rip sound. I took it again and threw it against a horse saddle nearby: it made a sound leather rip sound. I took it again and threw it against a rope: it made a rope rip sound.
I started a new game recently and am currently playing through it now. This is my first time playing it sober, and I have to say, wow. It's probably as close as one can get to playing a game over "for the first time" because I was so blitzed out of my mind years ago, my memory of the game is fragmented at best. Playing it sober, my appreciation for this game, and the work put into it, has skyrocketed. I've played a whole lot of games over the decades, and I daresay this is my absolute favorite.
43:21 "the graphics may age eventually", yeah idk, considering the current state of game development these days, it doesn't seem like it's gonna be ANYtime soon whatsoever.
The epilogue is so brilliant, too. The main story is very intense, the epilogue has its moments of action, but the slower pace lets you take in the scenery of Beecher's Hope, etc.
Great video for an absolute masterpiece of a game. This is what you get when the time is taken to bring all elements of a game together. Too many games today focus on only a couple of things and then release a buggy mess. This game is was and always will be a masterpiece. Thanks for taking the time to put this video together. Going to go and start yet another play though.
I got the low honor ending on my first play through. I was so pissed that I stopped playing and didn't touch the game for 3 days because I needed to cool down. When I did play it again I started over from the beginning to get the high honor ending. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. I used to be ashamed I was like "Why the hell am I crying about a video game character?". Then I saw a few compilation videos of other people crying at the end so I didn't feel bad anymore. The epilogue was all new to me since I never played it on my first play through. I like video games, but I'm far from being considered a gamer. This is still THE best game I've ever played in my life.
I've never seen a video explaining the magic of rdr2 so incredibly well. You did a fantastic job at summarizing 50h of this masterpiece in 40min and with such a passion!
your comments about switching from low honour to high within the last chapter are so true literally had the same experience where I just could not have Arthurs story end with low honour
This was an amazing video. Perfect narration and information for the newer crowd getting into this game. I have played this game since the day of its release and right here in 2024 I am replaying it again. It is that good and I'm still finding things that I haven't found before. Eight different save files of the game 🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠 Thanks for the video 💯💯🍻🍻🍻
I got to a point in the game where every scene with Dutch was “I have a plan” and “one more heist” and was getting really frustrated with what I thought was redundant writing. But then I realized that’s the whole point. You’re supposed to feel Arthur’s frustration with Dutch as he and the audience realizes it becomes evidentially clear there’s no “plan,” Dutch is loosing his grip and making it up as he goes along.
I love how people criticize a game for being long or too slow. And here I am wishing I can stay in the world and camp and hunt and explore forever… A truly immersive escape that should never be rushed.
It warms my heart to know there are so many who appreciated the artistry of this experience. This was truly a masterpiece. Nothing less than an absolute masterpiece.
I played so many hours in ps5, recently got a pc and am replaying with some quality of life mods....I'm in love all over again. This time, map off and looking at signs and getting lost
I actually feel so much of this. I actually have struggled to play open world games since RDR2 and I didn't start playing it until 2020. Still going 4 years later
I been playin again recently on PC.. added a bunch of mods too like a survival mod where Arthur has to sleep eat, drink, even pee. It makes the game even better IMO. There's tons of other mods too that literally enhance the story mode like crazy. Like a law and crime rebalance, new bounties, you can even bring some of the things from online mode to offline like the hunting wagon. It's great.
I'm gonna stop right here. At 8:10. I'm at my third playtrough and it has been a few years since now, so I don't want to "spoil" it to much. But I have to say, you are a very good story teller Mr Game. I will revisit this after I am finished. You got yourself a new subscriber. Love from Norway.
I never understood why some complained with the opening chapter in this game. It was this chapter that had me hooked beyond any offering before it. As someone who started his gaming life with Pong, RD2 is the very best. Unless RD3 releases, it will stay this way.
well, people could simply "skip" the 1st chapter if they have a saved file after chapter 1 and always start a new playthrough whenever they want directly with chapter 2. at least this is how I save the game when I play it. I save a file for almost each chapter. when I wish to play the game again from whatever point of the story, I simply load the saved file. easy. but I also like chapter 1. it is the introduction to the game and Ambarino is actually amazing. limited of course to explore but still nice and still easy to find some interesting things very early on as well. for example the treasure map, a trinket by the waterfall and a crafting item necessary for another trinket much later on in the story.
I HATED this game when I started. I re-started about three times. A friend told me to just play the main missions. Part way through I was hooked and realized how brilliant it was.
Still one of my favorite games. Don't forget the music, the score of that game is also timeless. When I don't play for too long, I get a bit homesick xx
I only bought RDR2 about 6 months ago when it was on Sale , disc Version, and for some unknwon reasons I did not install it until 14 days ago . Helps I got a PS5 a while ago . Now, I can't get off it . I started playing it, and fast paced the Story to Chapter 4 because I was so immensely drawn by it . Then I realized there are still large Areas on the Map north of Valentine I havent even seen yet . So I restarted . And experience just what you describe . I am loosing myself in it . Story does not matter to me much this time, I am just living the Life, and it is without any equal I know of how incredibly amazing the Game does this, immersing one into the World . On this second start, I have about 80 hrs now, and I am still in Chapter 2 . And am in no Rush leaving Valentine, yet .
Replaying for the like 4th time or so. Too good of a game always come back just to experience the amount of detail and still see smthn new every playthrough
this is the perfect video to watch after playing your 2nd playthough.. you cant leave RDR2 in just 1playthrough, you have to play it twice even that you wont get the full experience of RDR2 this vid helps you soo much to understand the value of the game.. still to this day this game is my fav video game ever..
What many people miss about Dutch is that Dutch genuinely believes his rhetoric about himself, and as part of that he believes he is mentally strong and can't be manipulated. Paradoxically, it leaves him more vulnerable to manipulation. When Micah persuades him to act in a certain way, Dutch retroactively fits it into his rubric, finding ways to justify it while believing he is remaining consistent to his values. As Micah's influence grows, the only way to do this is to blame the other gang members and shut them out. You could say that RDR2 is a story about what happens when a psychopath (Micah) meets an extreme narcissist (Dutch), from the perspective of a mentally healthy and strong individual (Arthur).
you can definitely see dutch is a manipulative narcissist from the start, there is one particular line in chapter one something along the lines of “your just doubting me” where he is intentionally miss interpreting arthurs point to manipulate him into agreeing with the decision. You can immediately see how Arthur is hurt by this as his loyalty to dutch is a core pillar of his identity. Its subtle but its there. Its is especially evident in chapter 6 but in general dutch takes any disagreement as a personal attack on his competence regardless of how soft spoken or constructively its delivered
When Dutch says that they have to leave Abigail, and Arthur gives that second “Dutch!” Gets me every time. The pain in Arthur’s eyes, the sadness just gets me. Bravo rockstar
You did an amazing job in full detail telling this extraordinary story. So far the most in depth playthrough is turning it all off. Auto Aim, minimap, any info on screen. Npc talk more if the minimap is off. Road signs point the way. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The game is so detailed that you can go 1st person dive far into this truly special game. Cheers
These are the cornerstones of any good immersive game: -a fleshed out script (story, dialogues) -voice actors (!!!) -sound design (music, environmental) When a game archives that you get emotionally invested and care about it and it leaves an imprint at you for years - then you know it's a really good game. 😎✌
I love this game. My favourite characters (if we dont count Arthur and John) are Charles and Hosea. So you can imagine my reaction in the bank heist. And if I remember correctly Charles gets hurt in the epilogue and because I was spoiler free I didnt know if he would make it. But Im happy to say atleast one of my bois survived
I wouldn't keep qualifying everything by saying 'video game characters' or 'video game story', in all of American Dramatic fiction, these are some of the best characters, story, and world to ever exist. An absolute analogue is the Sopranos. The depth of story, the depth of characters and world building and how it makes us feel about the characters is every bit the same, regardless the medium both stories are in. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an absolute titan in American Dramatic fiction. It's a masterpiece.
Im at chapter 2..i swear i havent done a single campaign mission since those early mandatory ones..once the world opened up all ive been doing is hunting, looking for treasures,dinosaur bones,cigarette cards etc.. oh i havent even unlocked fishing and legendary animals yet.
I think as much as anyone influenced the character of Dutch old time con artists and cult leaders were a factor. He's eternally manipulative and does everything he can to make sure he's the only one who knows the extent of the resources of the camp.
I never in my 800 hours of playing this game realized that the ring John proposes with to Abigail is Arthur's ring which was given back to him by Mary in Chapter 6. That hits me right in the feels.
16:20 , ''To retrieve the stash left at Beaver's Hollow'' That is not true, the stash in Beaver's Hollow(which is the money the gang stockpiled throughout RDR2) is taken by Micah at the end of Chapter 6, this can be seen in the ''go for the money'' ending. The stash on Mount Hagen, as Sadie at least mentions, is the Blackwater money, which is why Micah most likely decided to meet up with Dutch.
This is my go-to game. Everytime I start it with the I mention of just playing through the story and avoid all side distractions, but I just can't do it. Although my best playthrough is still only 97% completion, I thoroughly enjoy just exploring and living in the world. The story amazes me EVERY time, and I now have to play the entire game with my first horse just to make that scene even more powerful.
An over simplification of Dutch is that he is an insecure and angry man who likes the idea of doing good. But that insecurity is the root of all of his flaws. That’s why he likes his ego stroked and will pick that over “family”.
5:55 When you find out that Molly DID NOT in fact, tip off the Pinkertons, and it was actually Micah, you realize just how sad Molly's death was. She was just drunk and in love, and trying to say anything to get under Dutch's skin to get a reaction out of him, and then she paid with her life. It's no wonder Karen empathized with her, as she was feeling the same kind of grief after the death of Sean. She also found refuge in the bottom of a bottle.
Amazing game. Only big complaint is that the gameplay is a bit clunky. I get they were trying to go for a realistic angle, but at points it’s a bit too realistic. Besides that, the story, characters, world, and sound are top tier. Train heists and clothes shopping are the best part.
I come back to red dead all the time. even if it’s to chase a perfect pelt from a skittish deer across the map. I don’t care. The game is beautiful. The animations are incredible, and I always play in first person now. The gunplay is *chef’s kiss*
I don't think Dutch was always a bad man. I think he hit his head really badly and it changed who he was. During the trolley accident Dutch gets a really bad head injury which he comments on right before everyone splits up to lose the cops and head back to camp. Right after this he murders Bronte in the swamps and it's really the point where he starts to spiral out of control.
Going back for the money allows you to slash out Micah's eye, which is much more rewarding in my opinion because he has a huge scar over his eye in American Venom I also have 3061 hours in this game and the closest ive gotten to 100% was 99.8 and i accidentally saved over it 😭. But i really dont feel compelled to fully complete everything.
Every single word you said in this video is factual. Every.single.word. Well done. I’ve played the full story mode of RDR2 I would guess more than 30 times. Love it everytime. I am playing through it right now, which is what brought me to your video.
The things I’d do to go back and experience this again for the first time.. I wish rockstar wasn’t so greedy and actually cared about their other ips instead of just riding gta 6. Rd2 should have been had a next gen upgrade like gta v years ago
The only open world I’ve felt comes anywhere near RDR2 was AC Origins and while the world is equally as beautiful, the open world content can’t compare.
I played this first as it wasn’t until I was nearing the end of the story, did I find out that it was a prequel, and not a completely separate story than the first. So I ended up playing it in chronological order and I’m actually glad that I did
I hate myself for loving Dutch. The man I thought I knew and believed in, what he stood for. How he expressed who he truly was, throughout the game felt like a screwdriver, slowly being dug into my brain. It makes me confused as to whether I want RDR3 to be a prequel with a younger Dutch, or to put the Van Der Linde gang to rest. Idk. It would be great to see Hosea again. Hosea is my favorite character after Arthur.
I ironically started dressing Arthur like Doc Holiday (a la Val Kilmer in Tombstone) once I got to Saint-Denis cause I liked the look not knowing where the story was going. Then I found out he had TB and watched as his health deteriorated and also ended up with the high honor ending despite playing him pretty brutal at the start. God what a great game.
To this day I haven’t found it in me to replay the story. It was just so good I want to keep that first and only experience. Roaming all of the west in this game is a love letter to us who are actually from the west. So beautiful the way man was ment to live
@@burninsherman1037 it’s an actual living breathing world man. I would love for one day developers team up to create a masterpiece. Can you imagine a game made by rockstar and Bethesda man
I implore you to replay it... I started a second playthrough a few weeks back and it's even better than the first time experiencing it 5 and a half years ago.
I truly enjoyed this game every second of it.I wish I could erase my memory and just play it all over again. Such a remarkable journey I spent 150 hours playing it to hit 100% achievement
Me too. I really wish I could just forget all of it and start over
Well said. Absolutely agree with the reliving the gaming experience anew every playthrough.
Congrats! I’ve played through a few times and have never completely finished everything, gotten every bone, every cig card, etc. I start doing those things and get so sidetracked and drawn into the main story that I never complete them haha. I’m on my third play through and I vow to do 100% of everything this time 😂
Is it worth it? Thinking of getting it
Ngl I’ve never played red dead redemption in my life. One day.
A channel with 8000 subs releasing a video this long and detailed makes me happy in a way I can’t describe. It really shows your passion.
Why ?
@@tempsitch5632why what?
@@MadsenBDK Why is this person so happy over something so stupid ? How hard was that to figure out ? First time you’ve seen the word ?
@@MadsenBDK Why is this person so happy over something so stupid ? How hard was that to figure out ? First time you’ve seen the word ?
@@tempsitch5632 blud what are you yapping about lmao
The horse dying absolutely kills me every time.
So true, I always stick with my first horse. I sacrifice some abilities but it really does make it more realistic. Arthur loves his horse and wouldn’t just switch it for a slightly faster one. It does make it hurt more when it eventually dies. 🥲
“Thank you” 😢
Same. RIP Maximus (from my first play through)
@@ishopinamsterdam I always keep the huge black horse Hosea gives Arthur when they go hunt the bear. Its a unique horse and barely slower than the fastest horses.
@@cherb23 that’s the one 👌
Saying this game aged well is an understatement, this timeless masterpiece will forever stand as Rockstar's magnum opus and one of the greatest games of all time.
What a load of crap. You always talk like an E channel commercial ?
until gta 6...
@@42LGKHard to say. I think gta 6 will definetely have improvements in a number of places but idk yet how well they will handle the story and characters.
I used to have 3 save files on rdr2
1. For me to try to get completion
2. When my stepdad and I hung out
3. When I would hang out with my dad.
Had to do high honor with my stepdad around, because I didn’t want him to see what I was capable of 😂
With my dad we would be sore from laughter when we would throw people on train tracks or try and get away with as much as possible, *but* I didn’t spoil Arthur’s ending for him at all playing it. When Arthur got his diagnosis he was all in on redeeming him and it made playing through that part of the game easier and more memorable since he honestly even cared about Arthur in the game.
I think that kind of speaks volumes to how wide of an audience it is accessible to, and the success of its writing being a really emotionally complex and engaging piece of fiction. For both my stepdad and my dad to want to just be there with me playing it and connecting between both was a positive thing for me.
Thanks for the comment. I'm 64 and an OG Vidiot I guess. My Dad's been dead for decades and I never had kids. Cherish the good moments with your "Dads", mine was an abusive alcoholic. ✌️🐎
@@mrnobody3161 i can relate. It took a lot of time to make amends. Playing RDR2 was a way to reconnect and the theme of redemption actually made it very easy for us to talk about our past as father and son.
When I red your comment, my mind imagined "Daddy's Home." Your dad is whalberg and your stepdad is Ferrell 😂
@@deplorableokie It’s not far off. My dad is a plumber and my stepdad is an accountant. lol
there is some fascinating pyschoanalysis in to having to play the high honor and low honor mode depending on which male figure was present. good luck sir in adult navigation of life.
It’s sad as hell when you give Abigail that kiss and she says to tend to the farm, you’ve already done every bounty and side mission, got your fill of hunting and fishing… and you just know the ride is over, and you saw all you came to see.
I got that same sad feeling when you wake up in Kaer Morhen and everybody is gone, no more friends to do quests with, no more storyline, it’s over.
It’s the biggest compliment I can give to any game if I get that feeling at the end of it.
594 hours on this game and I will never get bored of it
Multiply that by 5 and we can talk.
@@tempsitch5632 and me multiply by 10 & we can talk 😉
@@tempsitch5632 add another thousand to yours and we can talk
Same, and only single player
Once you hit the 1000 hour mark it’ll start to get boring for a bit
Dont forget the music. The music makes it 10x more immersive. or should i say the sound ambience in general. When you just ride along to some peaceful guitar music and animal noises, enjoying the view, then suddenly it changes to some dark uncanny sound while you hear multiple horse riders from afar getting louder and louder, realizing that bounty hunters are coming for your head. This is so good man
no disrespect to GoW but this shoulda been the 2018 GOTY .
Ye true tbh lots of good games came out in 2018
Played both. And, as you said, no disrespect: God of War is fantastic. But RDR2... sheesh.
Absolutely.
It goes down as greatest story mode of all time in my book
I felt this way until I played gow and ragnarok back to back
1658 Hours and I still love this game. For me nothing even compares to it and I still play it almost daily. Great video, thanks for doing this.
1,500+ hours in, Platinum trophy, every tiny thing unlocked, play daily…… we should talk.
What do you do daily? I’m around 400 hours in myself. Just looking for ideas!
@@TickNation - Hunting, Legendary Animals, unlocking trapper clothes, challenges, getting the best horses, raiding homesteads,
@likhan.ghosh. How many times have you 100% the game
Picked it up cheap recently, and I've got about 50 hours in the game now.
But I'm not really playing RDR2 - I'm playing a RPG with a guy named Arthur as the hero.
I actively avoid the story missions - anything to do with Micah ends in slaughter of innocent people, and that's not what my Arthur is all about. Got my honour up to touching distance of the right edge of the bar! I'm the Robin Hood of the Wild West!
Next story mission is stealing some oil carriages with John Marston. I didn't play the first game, but apparently he was the hero, so I'm hoping he is a bit more sensible than Micah.
Got a hell of a lot of exploring to do first - at the moment I'm riding the whole perimeter of the map, seeing what is to be seen. It is beautiful - coming down from the mountains in the early morning, into an autumnal forest, with the god rays all around. Wonderful.
Did the same. I cannot stand the main story so I left the camp as often and long as possible to explore the world.
That’s what I love about the game.
@@Celisar1
TBH, now I've got a lot more hours into the game, I have (had to really) played a few more story missions, and one or two have been quite fun!
Low-key have a crush on Sadie - but the harmonica quest is glitched, and I'm not killing to get hold of one for her. And riding shotgun for the suffragettes was hilarious! But the main missions involving Dutch or other 'outlaw' scenarios are just out of character for my version of Arthur. ;-)
It blew my mind and still does. Think about it, hundreds of people working on this for years and years. The endless hours of work poured into it. And we end up with a masterpiece. Loved every minute of it.
The game is so insanely well made. Never seen this level of detail in any game ever before:
I was in a shack in the middle of nowhere where I found an axe. And I took the axe and threw it against the wall: it made a wood sound.
I took the axe again and threw it against a picture: it made a paper rip sound.
I took it again and threw it against a horse saddle nearby: it made a sound leather rip sound.
I took it again and threw it against a rope: it made a rope rip sound.
Arthurs last ride has to be my favorite scene from any game EVER
I started a new game recently and am currently playing through it now. This is my first time playing it sober, and I have to say, wow. It's probably as close as one can get to playing a game over "for the first time" because I was so blitzed out of my mind years ago, my memory of the game is fragmented at best. Playing it sober, my appreciation for this game, and the work put into it, has skyrocketed. I've played a whole lot of games over the decades, and I daresay this is my absolute favorite.
43:21 "the graphics may age eventually", yeah idk, considering the current state of game development these days, it doesn't seem like it's gonna be ANYtime soon whatsoever.
The epilogue is so brilliant, too. The main story is very intense, the epilogue has its moments of action, but the slower pace lets you take in the scenery of Beecher's Hope, etc.
0:11 not one of the best game, The Best Game!!!!
Witcher 3? G.o.w.?
Great video for an absolute masterpiece of a game. This is what you get when the time is taken to bring all elements of a game together. Too many games today focus on only a couple of things and then release a buggy mess. This game is was and always will be a masterpiece. Thanks for taking the time to put this video together. Going to go and start yet another play though.
I got the low honor ending on my first play through. I was so pissed that I stopped playing and didn't touch the game for 3 days because I needed to cool down. When I did play it again I started over from the beginning to get the high honor ending. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. I used to be ashamed I was like "Why the hell am I crying about a video game character?". Then I saw a few compilation videos of other people crying at the end so I didn't feel bad anymore. The epilogue was all new to me since I never played it on my first play through. I like video games, but I'm far from being considered a gamer. This is still THE best game I've ever played in my life.
Dave, I'm 56, a gruff old man and I cried too. This game is the new scale open world creators will be measured by.
I've never seen a video explaining the magic of rdr2 so incredibly well. You did a fantastic job at summarizing 50h of this masterpiece in 40min and with such a passion!
on my 8th playthrough and 1000 hours in and seeing this convinced me i gotta replay it again. i always tend to find 1 new things on each playthrough
The last ride after saving Abi was so fuckin deep. That song and the verbal flashbacks were amazing and just ripped my heart out. 👏 👏 👏
your comments about switching from low honour to high within the last chapter are so true literally had the same experience where I just could not have Arthurs story end with low honour
This was an amazing video. Perfect narration and information for the newer crowd getting into this game. I have played this game since the day of its release and right here in 2024 I am replaying it again. It is that good and I'm still finding things that I haven't found before. Eight different save files of the game 🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠 Thanks for the video 💯💯🍻🍻🍻
I got to a point in the game where every scene with Dutch was “I have a plan” and “one more heist” and was getting really frustrated with what I thought was redundant writing. But then I realized that’s the whole point. You’re supposed to feel Arthur’s frustration with Dutch as he and the audience realizes it becomes evidentially clear there’s no “plan,” Dutch is loosing his grip and making it up as he goes along.
I love how people criticize a game for being long or too slow. And here I am wishing I can stay in the world and camp and hunt and explore forever… A truly immersive escape that should never be rushed.
Exploring the map for the first time and uncovering all the events characters and locations is unmatched
It warms my heart to know there are so many who appreciated the artistry of this experience. This was truly a masterpiece. Nothing less than an absolute masterpiece.
RDR2 is the GOAT for me. I find myself constantly comparing almost every other open world RPG against RDR2 and none came close.
I feel like the only other game in recent times that is close level greatness is Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. But it's still not as good.
thanks for the efforts you put into this video mate , loved it
Dutch: "Why would you save John!
Arthur: "Because you wouldn't"
Dutch "*sighs* I HAD... A GODDAMN PLAN"
I played so many hours in ps5, recently got a pc and am replaying with some quality of life mods....I'm in love all over again. This time, map off and looking at signs and getting lost
6 years??? Nah this released 2 years ago I swear 😭 hopefully that means we are closer to RDR3 than we think. Hopefully by 2030 ☹️
I actually feel so much of this. I actually have struggled to play open world games since RDR2 and I didn't start playing it until 2020. Still going 4 years later
Finally got past Chapter 1 after 2 attempts over the years and absolutely loved every bit of it
One of the best games ever
Excellent commentary. Well done. Thank you. It took me 1000 hours of playing (actually 997) to get 100%, and every minute was worth it.
I been playin again recently on PC.. added a bunch of mods too like a survival mod where Arthur has to sleep eat, drink, even pee. It makes the game even better IMO. There's tons of other mods too that literally enhance the story mode like crazy. Like a law and crime rebalance, new bounties, you can even bring some of the things from online mode to offline like the hunting wagon. It's great.
I'm gonna stop right here. At 8:10. I'm at my third playtrough and it has been a few years since now, so I don't want to "spoil" it to much. But I have to say, you are a very good story teller Mr Game. I will revisit this after I am finished. You got yourself a new subscriber. Love from Norway.
Great video! Only thing missing was a chapter on the music! One the best uses of sound and music
I never understood why some complained with the opening chapter in this game. It was this chapter that had me hooked beyond any offering before it. As someone who started his gaming life with Pong, RD2 is the very best. Unless RD3 releases, it will stay this way.
well, people could simply "skip" the 1st chapter if they have a saved file after chapter 1 and always start a new playthrough whenever they want directly with chapter 2.
at least this is how I save the game when I play it.
I save a file for almost each chapter.
when I wish to play the game again from whatever point of the story, I simply load the saved file.
easy.
but I also like chapter 1. it is the introduction to the game and Ambarino is actually amazing. limited of course to explore but still nice and still easy to find some interesting things very early on as well.
for example the treasure map, a trinket by the waterfall and a crafting item necessary for another trinket much later on in the story.
This is an incredible video essay, I have to say. Outstanding work. Congratulations.
I HATED this game when I started. I re-started about three times. A friend told me to just play the main missions. Part way through I was hooked and realized how brilliant it was.
I've played through RDR2 prob a dozen times, but I now finding myself getting on just to enjoy the scenery with the ambient noises and relaxing music
Currently replaying it and interacting with every activity I come across. A masterpiece is an understatement.
The money john got at the end of the epilogue WASNT the beaver hollow money, it was the blackwater money.
Great retrospective on such a great game. I started playing it again too. A classic forever.
Still one of my favorite games. Don't forget the music, the score of that game is also timeless. When I don't play for too long, I get a bit homesick xx
I only bought RDR2 about 6 months ago when it was on Sale , disc Version, and for some unknwon reasons I did not install it until 14 days ago . Helps I got a PS5 a while ago . Now, I can't get off it . I started playing it, and fast paced the Story to Chapter 4 because I was so immensely drawn by it . Then I realized there are still large Areas on the Map north of Valentine I havent even seen yet .
So I restarted . And experience just what you describe . I am loosing myself in it . Story does not matter to me much this time, I am just living the Life, and it is without any equal I know of how incredibly amazing the Game does this, immersing one into the World . On this second start, I have about 80 hrs now, and I am still in Chapter 2 . And am in no Rush leaving Valentine, yet .
Replaying for the like 4th time or so. Too good of a game always come back just to experience the amount of detail and still see smthn new every playthrough
this is the perfect video to watch after playing your 2nd playthough.. you cant leave RDR2 in just 1playthrough, you have to play it twice even that you wont get the full experience of RDR2 this vid helps you soo much to understand the value of the game.. still to this day this game is my fav video game ever..
I wish they make Rdr 3 with the backdrop of how this gang was formed. That will truly complement this entire series and end on a high note.
Definitely a game that I wish I could experience for the first time again.
What many people miss about Dutch is that Dutch genuinely believes his rhetoric about himself, and as part of that he believes he is mentally strong and can't be manipulated.
Paradoxically, it leaves him more vulnerable to manipulation. When Micah persuades him to act in a certain way, Dutch retroactively fits it into his rubric, finding ways to justify it while believing he is remaining consistent to his values. As Micah's influence grows, the only way to do this is to blame the other gang members and shut them out.
You could say that RDR2 is a story about what happens when a psychopath (Micah) meets an extreme narcissist (Dutch), from the perspective of a mentally healthy and strong individual (Arthur).
you can definitely see dutch is a manipulative narcissist from the start, there is one particular line in chapter one something along the lines of “your just doubting me” where he is intentionally miss interpreting arthurs point to manipulate him into agreeing with the decision. You can immediately see how Arthur is hurt by this as his loyalty to dutch is a core pillar of his identity. Its subtle but its there. Its is especially evident in chapter 6 but in general dutch takes any disagreement as a personal attack on his competence regardless of how soft spoken or constructively its delivered
Jesus Christ I'm listening to this at work and still started crying hearing him say thank you to his horse.
the pain in arthur’s voice when he says “don’t thank me”. he knows he’s ruined these peoples lives.
When Dutch says that they have to leave Abigail, and Arthur gives that second “Dutch!” Gets me every time. The pain in Arthur’s eyes, the sadness just gets me. Bravo rockstar
same goes with me now, when they say that a game is open world i can’t help myself comparing it to rdr2
You did an amazing job in full detail telling this extraordinary story. So far the most in depth playthrough is turning it all off. Auto Aim, minimap, any info on screen.
Npc talk more if the minimap is off. Road signs point the way. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
The game is so detailed that you can go 1st person dive far into this truly special game.
Cheers
19:04 worlds best character description
I think you did justice to this game. I've never played RDR2 so I have something to look forward to :)
It's far from perfect but thankfully has a vibrant modding community. Mods are what turns the game into a true technical masterpiece, imo.
These are the cornerstones of any good immersive game:
-a fleshed out script (story, dialogues)
-voice actors (!!!)
-sound design (music, environmental)
When a game archives that you get emotionally invested and care about it and it leaves an imprint at you for years - then you know it's a really good game. 😎✌
I’ve beat this game 100% 5 times. It is simply the best looking best acted best written best paced best directed piece of immersive art ever created.
I love this game. My favourite characters (if we dont count Arthur and John) are Charles and Hosea. So you can imagine my reaction in the bank heist. And if I remember correctly Charles gets hurt in the epilogue and because I was spoiler free I didnt know if he would make it. But Im happy to say atleast one of my bois survived
I wouldn't keep qualifying everything by saying 'video game characters' or 'video game story', in all of American Dramatic fiction, these are some of the best characters, story, and world to ever exist. An absolute analogue is the Sopranos. The depth of story, the depth of characters and world building and how it makes us feel about the characters is every bit the same, regardless the medium both stories are in. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an absolute titan in American Dramatic fiction. It's a masterpiece.
Im at chapter 2..i swear i havent done a single campaign mission since those early mandatory ones..once the world opened up all ive been doing is hunting, looking for treasures,dinosaur bones,cigarette cards etc.. oh i havent even unlocked fishing and legendary animals yet.
The pain in Arthurs voice when dutch decides to not get abagail is so good 10:27
I think as much as anyone influenced the character of Dutch old time con artists and cult leaders were a factor. He's eternally manipulative and does everything he can to make sure he's the only one who knows the extent of the resources of the camp.
Redownloaded this game to give it a second playthrough, in shady belle and this is perfect timing to listen to as I ride to missions
I never in my 800 hours of playing this game realized that the ring John proposes with to Abigail is Arthur's ring which was given back to him by Mary in Chapter 6. That hits me right in the feels.
When arthur said thank you to his dying horse. Tears came pouring out ngl.
16:20 , ''To retrieve the stash left at Beaver's Hollow'' That is not true, the stash in Beaver's Hollow(which is the money the gang stockpiled throughout RDR2) is taken by Micah at the end of Chapter 6, this can be seen in the ''go for the money'' ending. The stash on Mount Hagen, as Sadie at least mentions, is the Blackwater money, which is why Micah most likely decided to meet up with Dutch.
Ive beat the game 4 times Arthurs death hits hard every time
If Dutch followed Micah he might have wound up getting arrested, which no doubt Micah had arranged with the Pinkertons.
This is my go-to game. Everytime I start it with the I mention of just playing through the story and avoid all side distractions, but I just can't do it. Although my best playthrough is still only 97% completion, I thoroughly enjoy just exploring and living in the world. The story amazes me EVERY time, and I now have to play the entire game with my first horse just to make that scene even more powerful.
The opening is my favorite part!!! I have restarted it many time just to replay the opening
When you said the last of us as number 1 and rdr2 as number 2 games of all time I thought yep exactly right 👏🏼👌🏼
An over simplification of Dutch is that he is an insecure and angry man who likes the idea of doing good. But that insecurity is the root of all of his flaws. That’s why he likes his ego stroked and will pick that over “family”.
I look forward to the day when another game is so good that it out places this one. But this game is absolutely amazing. My favorite of all time.
5:55 When you find out that Molly DID NOT in fact, tip off the Pinkertons, and it was actually Micah, you realize just how sad Molly's death was. She was just drunk and in love, and trying to say anything to get under Dutch's skin to get a reaction out of him, and then she paid with her life. It's no wonder Karen empathized with her, as she was feeling the same kind of grief after the death of Sean. She also found refuge in the bottom of a bottle.
How do you not have 6 figure subscriber numbers! This was awesome man, thank you for making me pick up the controller again! 😂
Yep i never believed a video game could find room in my heart but this one did.
Amazing game. Only big complaint is that the gameplay is a bit clunky. I get they were trying to go for a realistic angle, but at points it’s a bit too realistic. Besides that, the story, characters, world, and sound are top tier. Train heists and clothes shopping are the best part.
The gameplay is literally top of the line, the hell are you talking about??
I come back to red dead all the time. even if it’s to chase a perfect pelt from a skittish deer across the map. I don’t care. The game is beautiful. The animations are incredible, and I always play in first person now. The gunplay is *chef’s kiss*
I don't think Dutch was always a bad man. I think he hit his head really badly and it changed who he was. During the trolley accident Dutch gets a really bad head injury which he comments on right before everyone splits up to lose the cops and head back to camp. Right after this he murders Bronte in the swamps and it's really the point where he starts to spiral out of control.
Going back for the money allows you to slash out Micah's eye, which is much more rewarding in my opinion because he has a huge scar over his eye in American Venom
I also have 3061 hours in this game and the closest ive gotten to 100% was 99.8 and i accidentally saved over it 😭. But i really dont feel compelled to fully complete everything.
Every single word you said in this video is factual.
Every.single.word.
Well done.
I’ve played the full story mode of RDR2 I would guess more than 30 times. Love it everytime.
I am playing through it right now, which is what brought me to your video.
People who think this game is slow, they should play it with a split screen one for the game and the other for subway surfers.
The things I’d do to go back and experience this again for the first time.. I wish rockstar wasn’t so greedy and actually cared about their other ips instead of just riding gta 6. Rd2 should have been had a next gen upgrade like gta v years ago
The only open world I’ve felt comes anywhere near RDR2 was AC Origins and while the world is equally as beautiful, the open world content can’t compare.
I played this first as it wasn’t until I was nearing the end of the story, did I find out that it was a prequel, and not a completely separate story than the first.
So I ended up playing it in chronological order and I’m actually glad that I did
I hate myself for loving Dutch. The man I thought I knew and believed in, what he stood for. How he expressed who he truly was, throughout the game felt like a screwdriver, slowly being dug into my brain. It makes me confused as to whether I want RDR3 to be a prequel with a younger Dutch, or to put the Van Der Linde gang to rest. Idk. It would be great to see Hosea again. Hosea is my favorite character after Arthur.
This game is basically peak humanity performance right up there with ninth symphony, penicillin, airplanes and sliced bread.
I ironically started dressing Arthur like Doc Holiday (a la Val Kilmer in Tombstone) once I got to Saint-Denis cause I liked the look not knowing where the story was going. Then I found out he had TB and watched as his health deteriorated and also ended up with the high honor ending despite playing him pretty brutal at the start. God what a great game.
I could play this and The Last Of Us franchise over and over again and they never get old ❤
To this day I haven’t found it in me to replay the story. It was just so good I want to keep that first and only experience. Roaming all of the west in this game is a love letter to us who are actually from the west. So beautiful the way man was ment to live
It took me awhile to finally commit, and go back through it. Now I can't stop, because replaying pulled me right back into the world.
@@burninsherman1037 it’s an actual living breathing world man. I would love for one day developers team up to create a masterpiece. Can you imagine a game made by rockstar and Bethesda man
I implore you to replay it... I started a second playthrough a few weeks back and it's even better than the first time experiencing it 5 and a half years ago.
I love this game…… 1,500+ hours in, Platinum trophy, 4th play thought and still can’t get enough